Police Log

Posted
Thursday, August 2, 2012 1:00 pm

The Police Log is a digest of reports filed by the Warwick Police.

OBSTRUCTINGA Cranston woman was arrested for obstructing a police officer on July 26, following the arrest of another Cranston women for shoplifting and conspiracy at the Walmart store on Post Road (see Tuesday’s Beacon).Officer MaryEllen Jessop said the woman was arrested after she showed up at the loss prevention office at the store claiming to be the mother of a child that was with the woman being detained by loss prevention and police, accused of shoplifting after she walked out of the store with two purses containing unpaid-for goods. Jessop said they were interviewing the suspect, who had already told them who the child’s mother really was, when there was a knock on the door and the third woman came in and told Jessop she just got a call from her babysitter who told her she had been arrested for shoplifting and she should come and get the child. Jessop said she already had established that the mother left the store after she left her purse, with the concealed goods inside, with the detained woman.What’s more, the loss prevention agent told Jessop the woman claiming the child was someone other that the suspect they had on video surveillance. Jessop said she asked the woman for information about the child, like his name and date of birth. She said the woman told her the child was born in 2010 and was four years old and was extremely confused about details. Additionally, the child was shown the woman claiming to be his mother and the boy cried and said, “No,” and then started crying that he wanted his mommy. Jessop said she then told the woman that this was a serious situation and, if they did not get the name of the boy’s real mother, they would call DCYF to take custody of the child. Jessop said the woman said, “Well, I will tell you if it means you’re gonna let me walk out of here.” Jessop said she told the woman she could not make any such promise and the woman replied, “Then forget it,” and refused to provide any information.In the meantime, other officers were out in the parking lot looking for the woman seen inside the story with the suspect and the child earlier and found her (pay attention) in a minivan with three children who belonged to the woman who claimed to be the mother of the boy in the loss prevention office. Jessop learned that the woman in the van, identified as Jennifer Prior, 31, of 44 North Clarendon St., Cranston, called her friend to enlist her help in getting her boy out of the loss prevention office without having to go back into the store herself and risk arrest.After Jessop straightened the situation out and knew who was who, Prior and the woman arrested in the store, identified as Breana Caparrelli, 18, of 33 King St., Johnston, were charged with shoplifting and conspiracy to shoplift. Prior, Caparrelli and Amanda L. Ducharme, 30, of 68 Cottage St., Cranston, was charged with conspiracy to obstruct a police officer.

NOT STOLENOfficer David Waddington reported stopping a car for driving erratically and too fast around 1 a.m. on July 25. He said he was doing 85 miles per hour himself and the suspect car was not going any slower and ran a red light at Hoxsie Four Corners and continued south on Warwick Avenue. He said he estimated that the car was doing around 90 miles per hour and weaving in and out of the north and south lanes before it pulled over on Warwick Avenue at West Shore Road. He said the driver told him the car was not stolen and Waddington asked him why he said that and he did not answer. Waddington said he then put the driver in handcuffs while he investigated the circumstances. He said the man had a few drinks earlier but was not intoxicated. Waddington said he could not get in touch with the owner of the car to determine if he had permission to drive it, but he learned there was a restraining order between the driver and the owner, who the driver called his “baby mama.” It was decided to hold the car until they could find out if Damon Schmitz, 25, of 8 Whalen Rd., Providence, had permission to use the car. Schmitz was charged with speeding, running a red light, laned roadway violations and driving on a suspended license. Waddington reported that the driver made repeated threats against him, and Sgt. John Choquette had two other officers come to headquarters to book Schmitz to avoid a confrontation. Waddington said he did eventually contact the owner who said she was not troubled by Schmitz driving her car on a suspended license and told Waddington she thought the no contact order had expired. Waddington told her where she could claim her car.

DUI AND REFUSALOfficer Brian Chianese was dispatched to a hit and run accident at Ingalls and Alfred Streets around 4:35 p.m. on July 17. He said three witnesses had seen the man attempt to leave the scene of the collision but managed to follow him to the dead end of Alfred Street and take the keys from the car. They said he smelled of alcohol. Chianese said he went to the scene himself and found Gontran O. Torcq, 72, of 912 Cedar Swamp Rd., who smelled of alcohol, appeared to be intoxicated and could not speak in an “understandable” way. He said Torcq refused to take a field sobriety test and was taken to headquarters, where they had to “carry/escort” him out of the cruiser, and refused a breath test. He was charged with refusal, DUI, laned roadway violations and leaving the scene of an accident.Officer Jason Cooke reported he stopped a car on Bald Hill Road after a series of traffic violations starting on East Avenue around 1:30 a.m. on July 22. He said the driver appeared to be under the influence and smelled strongly of alcohol. He said there was an open beer in the cup holder that the driver claimed was there just to keep it from spilling. He said he asked when he had his last drink and he replied an hour before and admitted he got lost trying to get from East Greenwich to Cranston. Cooke said he gave the driver a field sobriety test that he couldn’t pass and he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. He said he found a bag of suspected marijuana in the car that was taken in evidence, along with the bottle of beer. Cooke said that Albert J. Puerini III, 34, of 101 Ashley St., Cranston, refused a breath test at headquarters. He was charged with DUI, refusal and presence of alcohol while driving. Cooke said there was no drug testing kit available to him at the time of the arrest to determine if the green substance was marijuana.Officer James Wenneman reported he was alerted to a possible drunk driver near Post Road and Division Street around 8:40 p.m. on July 21. A caller told dispatch she was following a gray Pontiac Vibe on Post Road that was swerving all over the road at 45 to 50 miles per hour. She said the car almost hit cars coming in the opposite direction and started toward Warwick after Division Street at about 70 miles per hour. The witness said she did that until she encountered traffic near Chelo’s and slowed down and then turned left onto Centerville Road at Apponaug. Wenneman said that was when he caught sight of the suspect vehicle and followed it onto Route 95 north at 70 miles per hour while swerving from lane to lane before pulling over near Exit 13. He said the driver smelled of alcohol and slurred her speech but claimed she only had one beer. He said he started to give the woman a field sobriety test, but she refused to complete one because “her license was suspended.” He said he placed Jessica Herbert, 41, of 33 Prospect St., Cranston, was charged with refusal and DUI. She was later released to a sober adult.